October 21, 2021 - No. 82 In This Issue : Rolls-Royce joins Boeing, World Energy for SAF flight : SLU Ranks in Top Ten for Best Colleges for Pilots, Aviation in America : L3Harris Wins Respected Aviation Week Program Excellence Award : Memphis International Airport Adopts Amadeus Technology to Support Transformation : DHL Express Malaysia and Pen Aviation sign MOU for cargo drone delivery : NASA’s tiny electrical aircraft is almost ready for lift-off : Technology package for carbon-neutral aviation fuel : A New Jet Fuel Made From 'Electrified CO2' Is Emissions-Free : Frontier Airlines Adopts Airbus Skywise Health Monitoring on A320 Fleet : At NASA Ames, Administrator Sees Climate-related Tech and More : Boeing Starliner problems persist, won’t launch until 2022 Rolls-Royce joins Boeing, World Energy for SAF flight Rolls-Royce, working with Boeing and World Energy, has carried out a successful test flight of its 747 Flying Testbed aircraft using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a Trent 1000 engine. The aircraft flew from Tucson airport in Arizona, passing over New Mexico and Texas, with a Trent 1000 engine running solely on 100% SAF while the remaining three RB211 engines ran on standard jet fuel, arriving back at the airport 3 hours and 54 minutes later. Initial indications confirm there were no engineering issues, providing further proof of the fuel’s suitability for commercial use. Rolls-Royce has continued to pioneer the adoption of 100% SAF, and validation of this test adds to those already carried out on its Trent XWB and Pearl engines, both on the ground and in the air. It recently confirmed that all of its Trent engines will be compatible with 100% SAF by 2023 and also called for further ambition and collaboration across the aviation sector, and with governments, to enable the transition of long-haul aviation toward net zero ahead of aviation goals set by the UN Race to Zero. Aircraft are currently only certified to operate on a maximum of 50% SAF blended with conventional jet fuel and Rolls-Royce continues to support efforts to certificate non-blended SAF. This is particularly important to support sustainability in long-distance air travel, which will require the power density of gas turbines for years to come. The flight was carried out in close collaboration with Boeing, which provided technical support and oversight on aircraft modifications and assurance the aircraft systems would operate as expected with 100% SAF. World Energy, the world’s first and America’s only commercial-scale SAF production company, provided the low-carbon fuel for the flight. Launch of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge to produce 3 billion gallons of the fuel a year by 2030 will form part of a wider aviation climate action plan to be released in the coming months. The European Commission has also created a ReFuelEU Aviation proposal that would mandate the incorporation of SAF supplied at EU airports. This would increase to 63% by 2050. Rolls-Royce Director Product Development and Technology – Civil Aerospace Simon Burr said, “We believe in air travel as a force for cultural good, but we also recognize the need to take action to decarbonize our industry. This flight is another example of collaboration across the value chain to make sure all the aircraft technology solutions are in place to enable a smooth introduction of 100% SAF into our industry.” Sheila Remes, vice president of Environmental Sustainability, Boeing, said, “It is an honor to partner with Rolls-Royce and World Energy on this 100% SAF flight. Its success further illustrates that SAF can fully replace conventional jet fuel over the long term and is a viable renewable energy solution to decarbonize aviation over the next 20-30 years.” Gene Gebolys, CEO, World Energy, said, “As the world’s first and U.S.’s only SAF producer, we’re grateful for the trailblazing work our partners are doing. Rolls-Royce’s work to prove the viability of powering the jet engines they make with the 100% renewable SAF we make lays the groundwork for fossil fuel-free flight. This work is incredibly important, and we applaud and appreciate Rolls-Royce for working with us to do it.” The Rolls-Royce Flying Testbed is used to carry out a variety of engine-related tests that improve efficiency and durability, as well as support its decarbonization strategy. https://www.aerospacemanufacturinganddesign.com/article/rolls-royce-joins-boeing-world-energy-saf-flight/ SLU Ranks in Top Ten for Best Colleges for Pilots, Aviation in America The site’s ranking used a matrix of cost, job placement upon graduation, opportunities for flight hours and partnerships with pathway programs. SLU’s aviation program has a 71% graduation rate, above that of higher-ranked programs University of North Dakota (55%), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (55%) and Baylor University (70%). Students enrolled in SLU’s aviation program begin flying within weeks of their freshman year, and continuously gather additional certification throughout each year of the flight science degree program. SLU’s Center for Aviation Science is housed at the St. Louis Downtown Airport. Student pilots learn on a versatile aircraft fleet, including Diamond DA-20, Piper Archer PA-28-181 with Garmin G1000NXi, Seminole PA44 and a Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ-700) Simulator. Flight training is also supported by a fleet of Frasca advanced aircraft training devices (AATD), or simulators. Undergraduate degrees offered include aeronautics, with concentrations in aviation management, flight science and global aviation, and aerospace engineering. The Aviation Program also encourages a love of flight in young people by hosting an Aviation Summer Academy and a Girls in Aviation Day, both aimed at high school aged students. About Parks College Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology offers aviation degrees and engineering degree programs that enable students to study these technical disciplines in a traditional university setting. As the first federally recognized flight school, Parks College has a rich history of creating well-rounded leaders in aviation and engineering fields such as civil, electrical, computer, mechanical, biomedical, and aerospace. About Saint Louis University Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 12,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place. https://www.slu.edu/news/2021/october/parks-pilot-ranking.php L3Harris Wins Respected Aviation Week Program Excellence Award MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 21, 2021-- L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) was awarded an Aviation Week 2021 Program Excellence Award for work on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The Aviation Week Network Program Excellence awards honor aerospace and defense industry programs that create organizational success through quality processes, people development, tools and leadership. This is the first year L3Harris has competed for the award and is being recognized for the optical telescope program in the Supplier System Design and Development category. NASA designed the Roman Space Telescope to answer questions in areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. “Quality program management is derived from a culture that strives for excellence,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer, L3Harris. “This award recognizes the innovation our teams embrace, and that our trusted disruptor approach delivers for our customers.” L3Harris is responsible for key elements of the Roman Space Telescope, including the primary mirror and hardware for the Wide Field Instrument to accomplish the mission’s core science goals. The L3Harris team earned the award for their work on the telescope by consistently delivering exceptional performance to NASA. L3Harris excelled during multiple challenges by implementing key execution strategies involving change management and risk management, while embracing and employing predictive metrics. The Roman Space Telescope is a next-generation observatory scheduled to launch no later than May 2027. Equipped with a 2.4-meter primary mirror, it has a field view that is 200 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope’s infrared instrument, capturing more of the sky with less observing time. For example, trying to find an exoplanet around a star is similar to finding a firefly near a spotlight in Los Angeles, while searching from Washington D.C. Aviation Week Network created the Program Excellence Awards in 2004 to honor exceptional leadership and identify lessons learned and best practices that would be shared across the industry. Nominations are evaluated by teams of program management leaders from the Defense Department, academia and industry. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com. https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/business/l3harris-wins-respected-aviation-week-program-excellence-award/article_e2d17dec-e482-5918-8cc4-5358990fec9d.html Memphis International Airport Adopts Amadeus Technology to Support Transformation Over the past few years, Memphis International Airport has transformed from a regional hub to an "origin and destination" airport. Rather than serving as a transfer hub for one primary airline, Memphis has diversified its number of carriers and is working to recruit additional airlines, including ultra-low-cost carriers that fly point-to-point routes. In addition to a major concourse redevelopment, the airport is acquiring a new generation of IT systems to support this change. With a more diverse range of airlines operating from Memphis, the airport sought to enhance its operational capabilities with technological upgrades that include several Amadeus Airport Management Solutions. The introduction of a new Airport Operational Database (AODB) provides information that includes airline flight schedules a year in advance, so all systems and partners at the airport have a consistent, long-range operational view. Memphis International Airport will transition to the Amadeus Resource Management System (RMS) for management of shared gates, ticket counters, and baggage drop-off points, based on a real-time view of demand from different airlines. In addition, the airport will utilize the Amadeus PROPworks contracting and billing management system. Scott A. Brockman, president and CEO, Memphis International Airport commented, “Our modernization project will reinvent the travel experience for the Memphis passenger, and welcome millions of travelers to our great city. This technology will be a key part of our modernization and our operations moving forward.” Elena Avila, EVP Airport IT and Airline Operations, Amadeus added, “Airports across the United States are adapting to the operational shifts ongoing in aviation. Our technology is specifically designed to help manage the complexity of terminals and resources that are shared by multiple carriers, which will prove critically valuable in this ongoing transformation. In particular, we’re excited to support this important transformation at Memphis.” https://www.aviationpros.com/airports/press-release/21243101/amadeus-it-group-sa-memphis-international-airport-adopts-amadeus-technology-to-support-transformation DHL Express Malaysia and Pen Aviation sign MOU for cargo drone delivery DHL Express Malaysia & Pen Aviation seal a strategic partnership to participate in a proof of commercialisation (POC) for time-critical deliveries with unmanned aerial vehicles DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider, and Pen Aviation, the industry-leading ecosystem provider for Unmanned Automated Solutions (UAS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to commercialise time-critical goods deliveries with unmanned aerial vehicles, leveraging PEN UAS-based solutions. https://youtu.be/CChxi_tf8zM This initiative is in partnership with Raya Airways as the cargo drone operator. DHL will participate in a Proof of Commercialisation (POC) by the end of 2021 to demonstrate the commercial viability of time-critical cargo drone delivery for port logistics missions, focusing on the maritime industry. The POC will undertake first- to last-mile port logistics missions jointly conducted by DHL, Pen Aviation, and Raya Airways. The POC will specifically demonstrate the cost and time optimisation of a fleet of drones to streamline port logistics and distribution activities for goods at commercial ports. PEN55V, Pen Aviation’s medium-size cargo drone, will pick up and drop off packages weighing up to 12kg from the cargo ship deck to the port and vice versa, both in the day and at night. “Cargo drones will be the next generation of transportation in logistics. This POC comes in the wake of the recent 12th Malaysian Plan announcement where the Government of Malaysia highlighted the importance of seamless connectivity and reliability in transport and logistics. The use of drone technology will enable us to reach rural communities especially in East Malaysia, where critical items such as vaccines, medicines, and medical devices are needed while allowing us to fulfil our purpose of Connecting People and Improving Lives,” said Julian Neo, Managing Director, DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei. Under this agreement, DHL and Pen Aviation will work together to certify and utilise the PEN55V to move shipments to seaports over long distances. The long-term goal is to set up a mixed fleet of PEN55V and PEN1360V, Pen Aviation’s heavy-size cargo drones designed and manufactured in partnership with Cavok-UAS. Jean-Bernard Boura, Managing Director and Founder of Pen Aviation, said, “We decided to tackle every single pain point that hinders unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based businesses today, starting with UAV designs that can meet aviation certification standards. But above and beyond the UAV design, we are excited to confront our overall ecosystem to DHL demanding cargo environment and demonstrate our business enabling logistics solutions, whatever the mile, whatever the mode of transportation.” For the same payload capability, the PEN55V microturbine requires three times less energy to fly than battery-powered UAVs and does not cause any pollution challenges related to battery manufacturing, charge, and recycling. In line with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 (“Mission 2050”), this solution provided by PEN UAS supports our drive toward clean operations for climate protection. This initiative will be performed in compliance with the Civil Aviation Directive CAD 6011, a regulation by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia which allows the development of unmanned aircraft technologies. The POC will demonstrate Pen Aviation’s ecosystem superiority to successfully deliver high-volume automated logistics operations with a 24/7 UAV-based freight service. https://www.suasnews.com/2021/10/dhl-express-malaysia-and-pen-aviation-sign-mou-for-cargo-drone-delivery/ NASA’s tiny electrical aircraft is almost ready for lift-off NASA’s first electric plane is getting ready for takeoff. For the last five years, a small team of NASA engineers has been working to convert an Italian Tecnam P2006T aircraft so that it runs only on battery power. The X-57 Maxwell, named after 19th-century Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell, recently began high-voltage functional ground testing at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., and is set to take its inaugural flight in the spring of 2022. That flight, when it happens, will signal a crucial milestone for NASA, which has been tasked by President Joe Biden to focus more of its resources on lessening the impact of climate change. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson toured Armstrong last week, where he got an up-close look at the tiny two-seater aircraft. In an interview with The Verge, Nelson said that the technology that underpins the X-57 will be crucial in the effort to decarbonize the aviation industry. “They’re getting ready to fly this,” Nelson said. “And it is the first demonstrator of an all-electric [airplane].” In concept form, the X-57 has a unique look. (Wired called it “goofy as hell” back in 2016.) The high-aspect-ratio wings are much skinnier than typical airplane wings, lined with 12 electric motors with propellers to help with lift and two larger engines at the end to aid cruising. When not in use, the 12 smaller motors fold in to help reduce drag. NASA expects the X-57 will have a range of roughly 100 miles and a cruise speed of 172 mph. It will also have a maximum flight time of approximately 40 minutes. But in reality, the motors have yet to be installed, and the X-57 still looks like a normal light aircraft that you might see at any airfield. Nelson said the prototype will soon “morph” into the image of the plane that NASA first revealed back in 2016. And from there, the team will build a hybrid version that can run on both electricity and gas. “All of which has the purpose of lessening our reliance on fossil fuels, less pollution, and keeping the cost reasonable,” he said. One of the main obstacles standing in the way of electric aviation is the weight of the battery. Energy density — the amount of energy stored in a battery — is the key metric, and today’s batteries don’t contain enough energy to get most planes off the ground and sustain flight beyond more than a few hundred miles. To weigh it out: jet fuel doles out about 43 times more energy than a battery that’s just as heavy. The X-57 requires about 800 pounds of battery for its research flights, said Sean Clark, principal investigator at Armstrong Flight Research Center. One of the innovations developed by the X-57 team was an installation pack that can absorb a failed battery cell after its energy is spent, which helps prevent the failure of an entire battery pack. This experimental installation pack is already being commercialized and used by NASA’s contractors. “You have to be prepared for failures,” Clark said. Most companies working on electric aircraft say their prototypes will be useful for short trips within a city, like from Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport. Nelson said these air taxis could prove useful in reducing the amount of surface congestion on urban roadways. “You could have short-hop aircraft ... between cities that are not far apart,” he said. “However, you could even have intracity in a large city like Los Angeles, going from one part of Los Angeles, taking passengers to another, and avoid having to get in the four o’clock traffic jam on the freeways.” The aviation industry only produces about 2 percent of global carbon emissions. But the effort to remove the noise and pollution from flying is (pardon the pun) really taking off in a variety of ways. Figuring out how to swap jet fuel with heavy lithium-ion batteries has been a huge sticking point — one that NASA’s team of scientists and engineers feel well suited to solve. “Are we gonna be serious about trying to save the planet?” Nelson said. “There are a lot of other things that pollute a lot more, namely coal-fired electrical plants. But the fact is we’ve got to work on them all.” Clark said that NASA has already made huge advances in battery technology that will help the aircraft achieve lift and sustain a cruising altitude. The X-57 team’s development of battery technology, along with the packaging of energy storage into the fuselage putting the motors, has been valuable, along with figuring out a process for performing “health checks” on the battery and motors while in flight, Clark said. Those details are being published and shared with the aviation community to help inform their own efforts. “Even before the first flight, we’re able to help support this new industry and kickstart this new technology,” Clark said. It’s still early days for electric aircraft, but the companies developing prototypes have already conducted their own test flights. NASA wants it to be a two-way street: you share data with us, and we’ll share our learnings, too. Last month, NASA kicked off test flights of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with Joby Aviation, the Northern California company that recently went public. The agency is closely monitoring the aircraft’s sound profile to see how well it compares to helicopters and other gas-powered vehicles. A major selling point for eVTOL companies is that these aircraft are noticeably less noisy than helicopters and therefore better suited for flights over populated areas. The test flights are part of a national campaign by NASA to observe these experimental aircraft in action and gather data. Joby, which was founded in 2009, is the first eVTOL company to participate in NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign. NASA is getting data from Joby, and in exchange, the company has supplied components to the X-57 project, such as its electric motors, Clark said. If this collaboration continues to bear fruit, people may find themselves whisking through in an electric aircraft sooner than they think. “It’s really important that we support the industry and make this technology accessible to Joby and other airframe manufacturers,” Clark said, “to make these aircraft more accessible to the flying public.” https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/21/22738351/nasa-x57-maxwell-electric-airplane-bill-nelson-interview Technology package for carbon-neutral aviation fuel WOOD and technology company Honeywell have announced that they will combine green refining and hydrogen technologies, along with CO2 capture, into a package to support efforts for carbon-neutral aviation fuel. The package will include the Ecofining process from Honeywell UOP, an international technology supplier and licensor. Ecofining technology can convert non-edible natural oils, animal fats, and other waste feedstocks into Honeywell Green Diesel and Honeywell Green Jet Fuel. Ben Owens, VP and General Manager of Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions, said that conversion is via a combination of hydrodeoxygenation (to remove oxygen), hydro-denitrification (to remove nitrogen), and isomerisation to improve cold flow properties of the fuel. When using feedstock such as used cooking oil, the single-step process can offer up to 80% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at this stage, compared to conventional petroleum jet fuel. Owens said that renewable naphtha and liquid petroleum gas byproducts from Ecofining will be used to feed Wood’s technology to produce renewable hydrogen. He added that “renewable hydrogen produced in this manner can reduce lifecycle GHG emissions 6–10% when compared to the GHG emissions produced by conventional fossil hydrogen production”. The renewable hydrogen produced can then be injected back into the Honeywell Ecofining process to remove impurities and create a cleaner burning renewable fuel. Using Honeywell H2 Solutions, CO2 produced during hydrogen production can be captured and routed for permanent underground storage, offering an additional 10% reduction in emissions compared to conventional jet fuel. Honeywell H2 Solutions is a suite of carbon capture technologies that can be optimised for specific projects, including pressure swing adsorption, solvent, and cryogenic processes. Owens said that as a result of combining these technologies, “a renewable fuels refinery can be essentially self-sustaining in hydrogen production while reducing the carbon intensity of the renewable fuels to very low levels”. The package could support the US sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge. The challenge is the result of a government-wide memorandum of understanding aiming to reduce costs, enhance sustainability, and expand production and use of SAF while achieving a minimum 50% lifecycle GHG emissions reduction. The initiative has a near-term goal of producing 3bn gallons/y (11.36bn L/y) of SAF by 2030. If the devised package were used to produce the 3bn gallons, 34m t/y of cumulative CO2 could be avoided, depending on the oil and fat feedstock mix used. https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/technology-package-for-carbon-neutral-aviation-fuel/ A New Jet Fuel Made From 'Electrified CO2' Is Emissions-Free One of the cleanest fuels soon to come to the market uses the emissions it seeks to offset as part of its development process. Carbon transformation firm Twelve produced the first fossil-free jet fuel out of CO2, using electrolysis, a report from Green Car Congress reveals. The fuel, called E-Jet, was developed with backing from the U.S. Air Force (USAF), and it has the potential to become a scalable, efficient method for reducing the aviation industry's environmental impact, which currently accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon emissions. If you can't electrify an aircraft, electrify its fuel On its website, Twelve points out that current electric airplane technology is limited and it can only handle large passenger flights of up to three hours. "Longer flights need a higher-density energy source than batteries can provide today," Twelve says. "So what can we do? Electrify the fuel." The E-Jet fuel essentially is made from electrified CO2. Twelve partnered with Fischer-Tropsch conversion experts Emerging Fuels Technology to develop their fossil-free fuel, which utilizes its carbon transformation technology. Crucially, E-Jet is a drop-in fuel, meaning it can be used in any existing aircraft without having to make any machinery adjustments. As Twelve co-founder and CEO Nicholas Flanders puts it, the company has "essentially electrified the fuel instead through our electrochemical process, and the fuel drops right into existing commercial planes, allowing operators to instantly reduce their carbon footprint without any sacrifice to operating quality. Since you can't electrify the plane, we've electrified the fuel." A massive boost for the aviation industry's climate efforts? Twelve, which is named after the Carbon-12 isotope, the most abundant form of the element, was founded in 2015 by Stanford University students Dr. Etosha Cave, Dr. Kendra Kuhl, and Nicholas Flanders. The company developed a polymer-electrolyte membrane CO2 electrolyzer that splits CO2. All the electrolyzer needs to carry out the reaction is water and electricity, which the company sources from renewable energy providers. The process produces syngas (CO and hydrogen), as well as pure oxygen as a byproduct. E-Jet is an upgraded version of the syngas produced by Twelve, developed thanks to backing from the USAF and a recent $57 million Series A funding round. The company says that its system can be attached to existing industrial systems to extract CO2 and transform it into an e-fuel. Following the IPCC's latest alarming report on climate change in August, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), announced a commitment this month to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Scientists worldwide are working hard to develop more sustainable means of transportation. In Germany, for example, a non-profit organization called Atmosfair recently opened the world's first synthetic kerosene production plant with the aim of testing the feasibility of the sustainable aviation fuel. If Twelve can deliver on its heady promise of producing e-fuel with carbon capture technology, that could be a massive boost for the aviation industry's efforts to reduce its impact on the environment. https://interestingengineering.com/a-new-jet-fuel-made-from-electrified-co2-is-emissions-free Frontier Airlines Adopts Airbus Skywise Health Monitoring on A320 Fleet Frontier Airlines is adopting Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM) technology from Airbus across its fleet of A320neo aircraft, according to an Oct. 14 press release. SHM will give Frontier the ability to gather live fleet health diagnostics using the A320neo’s Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) link and Flight Operations and Maintenance Exchanger (“FOMAX”) data router and stream it to directly into their airline information sharing system. According to Airbus, Frontier has signed a five-year contract for SHM to be operated across a total of 111 A320neo aircraft. Airbus notes that the FOMAX data router is capable of capturing over 20,000 real-time aircraft parameters to enable “end-to-end unscheduled event management/fixes, for example by anticipating tools and parts’ availability closest to the aircraft.” “Frontier will use the solution for its A320 Family fleet. Airbus’ SHM will support the airline’s maintenance and engineering teams by enabling real-time management of aircraft events and troubleshooting,” Airbus said in the release. During a June 30 media call, leadership from Airbus, Delta Tech Ops and GE Digital explained how the three entities were forming a new digital alliance to expand the data collection, storing and analysis tools provided by Skywise. According to Lionel Rouby, senior vice president, customer services innovation digital solutions at Airbus, the cloud computing infrastructure for the servers utilized by Skywise are contain a total of 15 petabytes, or 15 million total gigabytes of flight operational data points about individual in-service Airbus aircraft parts, systems, and engines. "The first initial project we're working on with Delta and GE is about predictive maintenance, monitoring the health of the aircraft, monitoring the messages generated by the aircraft, and collecting all the data generated to predict failure. The engine of this solution is the collection of analytics, of knowledge that will predict and anticipate the failure mode of the equipment,” Rouby said during the call, explaining how the company is trying to continually improve the capabilities of Skywise for airlines like Frontier and others using the platform. Adoption of Skywise by Frontier comes amid a complete phasing out of their legacy A319s, the final aircraft — tail N949FR — of that fleet retired last month, completing its final flight after more than 15 years in service. The airline operates the largest A320neo fleet in North America, with an average age of 4.1 years and approximately 140 of the same aircraft model remaining on order, according to their website. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2021/10/20/frontier-airlines-adopts-airbus-skywise-health-monitoring-a320-fleet/ At NASA Ames, Administrator Sees Climate-related Tech and More Both air and space technologies from NASA are helping to study and understand climate change – and the agency is actively taking steps to transition those tools into the hands of people who can make a difference. This fact was highlighted by NASA’s leaders during a visit to the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on Oct. 12, 2021. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy toured the unique facilities at Ames for the first time, along with Congresswoman Anna Eshoo who also joined a portion of the tour. They met with researchers whose work transforming air traffic management is helping make aviation more sustainable. The Airspace Technology Demonstration 2, or ATD-2, project has already made it possible to reduce jet fuel emissions and save travelers time, among other concrete benefits. Other new NASA technologies presented could enhance efforts to fight wildfires. The Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations, or STEReO, project is creating a system for coordinating the many parts of a complex response operation, including uncrewed and piloted aircraft, to make it faster, safer, and more targeted. On the tour, Nelson and Melroy also learned about Ames’ expertise in Earth sciences and, specifically, using sensors aboard aircraft and satellites to monitor the risk for wildfires, predict their course, and respond to their impacts. The center’s contributions to the Artemis program were featured as well. At the arc jet facility, very hot gases move at high speeds over test materials to approximate the heating a spacecraft experiences when entering the atmosphere. When NASA sends humans to explore the Moon, the work of Ames researchers will help ensure the crew capsule’s heat shield protects them – and bring them home safely. Space biology was also on the docket during the visit to Ames. Nelson and Melroy toured state-of-the-art laboratory spaces and met with team members of GeneLab, NASA’s open repository for space biology data from the human, animal, and plant biology experiments conducted on the International Space Station. Scientists and students can use this priceless data to study how living things are affected by spaceflight and speed up basic science discoveries that can help improve health in space and on Earth. http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=58551 Boeing Starliner problems persist, won’t launch until 2022 The valve issue that put a halt to the August launch attempt of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner has yet to be resolved with mission managers officially taking 2021 off the table. “We’ll fly when we’re ready,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich. “We’ve talked about the first half of next year as being a viable launch period.” The spacecraft, which is seeking to join SpaceX Crew Dragon as one of two private company vehicles to provide transportation to and from the International Space Station, encountered issues with multiple valves during the leadup to the attempt to fly the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. OFT-2 is a redo of Boeing’s demonstration flight attempting to dock with the ISS minus a crew. Boeing had previously launched Starliner on an uncrewed test flight in December 2019, but software and other issues led to the spacecraft never rendezvousing with the ISS. While it was able to land safely, NASA labeled the flight as a “high visibility close call” that led to a post-launch review that recommended 80 changes to the program. Working through each of those issues, Boeing announced it would take a second stab at getting to the ISS without crew at no cost to NASA, and all signs were looking good leading up to the August 4 launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. During pre-launch testing, though, the August launch was scrubbed when 13 of 64 valves in the propulsion system were found to be in the incorrect position. Teams worked on the launch pad and then in United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility, managing to fix all but four of the valves, but the root problem was still not clear, so the spacecraft was rolled back to Boeing’s factory at Kennedy Space Center for further work. John Vollmer, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, said one major decision the company made was to stick with hardware, keeping the same service module and crew module, and that they have honed in on moisture in the valves that caused corrosive byproducts to form as the likely culprit, but that testing continues. “Everything we’ve done up to this point and the path that we’re developing going forward is going to enable us to meet that goal of getting back to flight safely and as soon as possible,” Vollmer said. Just how the same issue can be avoided in the future could mean changes to flight procedures, including potentially loading propellant later in the leadup to launch, and adjusting purge operations and adding heaters to the hardware to reduce moisture. Michelle Parker, chief engineer for space and launch systems for Boeing company, said that 12 of the 13 valves are now operational, with one purposefully left stuck for further examination at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center where it and additional valves will undergo CT scanning. Other valves were sent to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, which has a lot of history testing propellants. “It is important that we do it right and the team has been very vigilant,” Parker said. “It is a complex issue.” The goal for Boeing is to complete the mission, then follow up with a crewed test flight in an effort to get NASA to sign off on the spacecraft for normal rotational missions to the station as part of Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX meanwhile is preparing for its fourth flight to the ISS with crew, having completed its demonstration flight in May 2020, the first flight with astronauts from U.S. soil to the ISS since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission is aiming to launch from Kennedy Space Center as early as Oct. 31. The Crew-3 passengers, NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer are in quarantine leading to the targeted 2:21 a.m. launch attempt on Halloween on a new Crew Dragon spacecraft named Endurance. A backup launch time is set for 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3. The Crew-3 mission is set for a six-month rotation on the ISS. Leaving the station shortly after Endurance’s arrival will be the Crew-2 astronauts, set to fly back on Crew Dragon Endeavour from the ISS a few days later for a splashdown off the coast of Florida. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-boeing-starliner-delayed-first-half-2022-20211020-5fsmgyqt5vf2taoi7nzcgakstm-story.html Curt Lewis